Joao Fonseca mentioned Roger Federer as key to his success after reaching round two at the Australian Open.
The 18-year-old produced a stunning performance to defeat Andrey Rublev in his first match in the main draw of a Grand Slam.
He wowed the crowd with his electrifying shotmaking and effortless power, which the World number nine simply had no answer for.
Fonseca is on a streak having won his last 14 matches at all levels, and he is certainly one to watch as the Australian Open progresses.
What did Joao Fonseca say about Roger Federer after the Australian Open?
Fonseca has shown he is one of the brightest stars on the ATP Tour with his run to the NextGen ATP Finals title in December.
He won a challenger event in Canberra before successfully qualifying for the main draw of the Australian Open. He has continued his fine form at Melbourne Park as he is certainly one to watch this week.
Following Fonseca’s victory over Rublev, he was asked who he was most inspired by, and he named one of the greatest players of all time, and arguably the best player to come from his native Brazil.
“My idol was always Roger. I grew up watching Roger. Of course, I think everyone wanted to play like him,” Fonseca told reporters.
“But I even tried, when I was younger, one-handed. I tried for, like, one week, and then I have something in my elbow, and then I forgot, I’m going to go two-handed again (smile). But, yeah, he is an idol for me. He inspires me.
“Gustavo Kuerten of course, the Brazilian one, he’s not only an idol as a player, but as a person. He’s such a nice person. I could meet him, and yeah, I think those two are my idols.”
Joao Fonseca equals Roger Federer’s 22-year-old record at Australian Open
Fonseca joined great company after beating Rublev to reach the second round of the Australian Open.
He took an even first set on a tiebreak, and he raised his level in set two, as he overwhelmed Rublev with his effortless power off both the forehand and backhand.
The Brazilian then claimed the third-set tiebreak and recorded a 7-6(1), 6-3, 7-6(5) win to become just the second teenager since 1973 to defeat an ATP top 10 opponent in their very first Grand Slam match.
The other player was Mario Ancic, who beat Roger Federer at the 2002 Wimbledon Championships when he was just 18.
Fonseca has booked his spot in the next round where he will play Italy’s Lorenzo Sonego, who knocked out the 2014 Australian Open winner, Stan Wawrinka.
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